York University will release its first Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy later this Spring. As an update to the community, an Overview of the five strategic directions are posted below.
During the feedback period, The President’s Advisory Council on Equity Diversity and Inclusion (the Council) formed a sub-committee on Decolonizing the EDI Strategy to review and suggest revisions to the strategy through a decolonizing lens. The Council agreed to add Decolonizing to the title of the strategy in order to acknowledge that decolonization must come first in order to practice the principals of equity, diversity and inclusion. York University is among the first post-secondary institutions in Canada to include decolonization in a meaningful and thoughtful way within a DEDI strategy.
Overview
The York University Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (DEDI) Strategy is a community-informed strategy, resulting from the collaborative efforts of the President’s Advisory Council on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), a body charged to provide advice and guidance to advance an EDI strategy, and the Office of the Vice-President Equity, People and Culture, charged to lead the development and implementation of a strategy. This is the first effort to formalize and coordinate DEDI efforts across the University to collectively drive the vision and action required to create a decolonizing, inclusive and equitable environment where all members of the York community experience a sense of belonging, connection and well-being.
DEDI is central to the core values of York University. This strategy acknowledges the University’s colonial structures and appreciates that many forms of discrimination and oppression exist both in society and in higher education. The DEDI Strategy provides a lens on the University’s past, present and future, allowing it to focus clearly on the efforts and resources needed to drive change.
Strategic Directions
The five strategic directions that will provide focus for enabling activities as well as how people can take up the work include:
Teaching and Learning
York University will cultivate inclusive teaching and learning environments that nurture multiple and intersectional ways of knowing, including the incorporation of DEDI principles in curriculum and programs.
Research and Innovation
York University will cultivate inclusive and equitable research environments that nurture multiple and intersectional ways of knowing, create and nurture diverse research teams and encourage research programs in traditionally equity-deserving settings.
Representation and Success
York University will cultivate inclusive and equitable research environments that nurture multiple and intersectional ways of knowing, create and nurture diverse research teams and encourage research programs in traditionally equity-deserving settings.
Leadership and Capacity Building
York University strives to be a community where all members demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate through and lead in a diverse world. York commits to building capacity in its leadership to advance DEDI for today, tomorrow and the future.
Campus Climate and Environment
York University will work towards creating an inclusive and equitable community where everyone has the potential to feel a sense of belonging and that they are respected. The University will undertake initiatives to enhance the accessibility of physical and virtual spaces for students, staff, faculty, and instructors.
Next Steps
The complete DEDI strategy will be launched in May, and will include a glossary, the principles which guided the strategy and key initiatives, actions and benchmarks recommended to enable the plan. Phase one of a toolkit for community members will focus on one’s personal journey and understanding of DEDI terms and concepts is in development and expected to launch in late summer.
Download the PDF of the Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (English). French to follow.
Background
The President’s Advisory Council on Equity Diversity and Inclusion (The Council) and the Office of the Vice-President Equity, People and Culture began work on the strategy in Fall of 2020. Over the next two-and-a-half years, the almost 50 member Council met monthly to lead the development and implementation of a strategy that would formalize and coordinate DEDI efforts across the University. In Spring 2022, York released the draft Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strategy, gathering feedback through presentations, a university survey, facilitated feedback sessions and invited written response. A broad representation of the York community which included, academic staff, non-academic staff, under-graduate, and graduate students were engaged in the feedback process.